Towards the Establishment of a Master's Degree in Risk and Disaster Management at UPSAC

Les Cayes. — The Economic Forum of the Southern Peninsula (FEPS) organized, last Sunday, March 8, a conference-debate bringing together academics, institutional officials, and development actors around a question that has become crucial for the country's future: the training of specialists capable of preventing and managing natural disasters. This activity was part of a broader reflection on the role of higher education in building territorial resilience to environmental risks. Held under the theme « Building Resilience through Education: Towards Expertise in the Greater South in Risk and Disaster Management », the meeting aimed in particular to examine the necessary conditions for the creation of a master's program in risk and disaster management at the Public University of the South in Les Cayes (UPSAC). Training Specialists to Anticipate Disasters The Southern Peninsula remains one of Haiti's regions most exposed to natural disasters. Hurricanes, floods, landslides, and earthquakes that have marked the country's recent history have shown how high the vulnerability of territories remains and how insufficient prevention is. In this context, the training of specialized personnel appears as a strategic issue. Several speakers emphasized that disaster management can no longer be improvised during crises. It must be based on scientific knowledge, technical skills, and rigorous planning. The Central Role of the University Speaking during the conference-debate, Mr. Chrisostome Joseph Félix, an agricultural engineer and lecturer in risk and disaster management, who shared his field experiences with the participants, emphasized the importance of strengthening university training offerings in this area. According to him, the university can play a decisive role in building national expertise capable of anticipating risks and better supporting vulnerable communities. He particularly highlighted that the creation of a master's program at UPSAC would enable the training of professionals capable of analyzing territorial vulnerabilities, designing prevention strategies, and participating in the coordination of interventions in the event of a disaster. UPSAC's Commitment For Dr. Edouard Jules, Rector of the Public University of the South in Les Cayes (UPSAC), representative of the public universities pillar and member of the FEPS board of directors, the university must fully engage in finding solutions to the challenges facing Haitian society. The Rector recalled that departmental public universities have the responsibility to produce useful knowledge and to train personnel capable of acting in the field. The creation of a master's degree in risk and disaster management would, according to him, constitute a significant step forward for strengthening UPSAC's academic and social mission. Such a program would also bring university research closer to the concrete needs of local authorities and public institutions involved in disaster management. Rector Edouard Jules also mentioned, in his speech, that former Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis, who created the UPRs, and economist Narcisse Fièvre, former coordinator of the UPR network, have worked extensively on the GRD training program which will soon be piloted within UPSAC. Collaboration with Civil Protection The conference also benefited from the intervention of Mr. Emmanuel Pierre, Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Protection. He emphasized the importance of developing close cooperation between universities and public institutions responsible for risk management. According to him, the natural disasters that regularly strike Haiti require better coordinated responses and ones more based on scientific knowledge. The training of specialists in this field is therefore an essential element for strengthening the national risk and disaster management system. He also recalled that personnel trained in this field could intervene at different levels: prevention, territorial planning, emergency situation management, and post-disaster reconstruction. Towards a Hub of Expertise in the Greater South Beyond the various interventions, the discussions highlighted the need to develop genuine regional expertise in the field of risk and disaster management. The creation of a specialized master's degree at UPSAC could thus contribute to the establishment of a center of expertise in the Greater South, capable of supporting local authorities, public institutions, and civil society organizations in their efforts to prevent and manage disasters. It would also stimulate scientific research in a field still insufficiently explored in Haiti, despite the frequency of disasters affecting the country. A Project Ready for Launch According to information shared during the meeting, the main planning stages of the project have already been completed. The program's pedagogical orientations, training areas, and prospects for institutional partnerships have been thoroughly considered. However, despite the clear interest generated by this initiative and the commitment of the various stakeholders, the realization of the project still faces a major constraint. Indeed, as Rector Jules emphasized, the only difficulty currently preventing the implementation of this master's degree remains the insufficiency of financial resources. Academically and organizationally, the program's foundations are already defined, and planning is largely complete. In a country regularly confronted with natural disasters, the training of specialists capable of anticipating and managing these crises appears, however, as an urgent necessity. The master's project in risk and disaster management at UPSAC could thus represent a decisive step in building a more resilient society, better prepared to face the environmental challenges of the coming decades. Pierre Josué Agénor Cadet